May 2021 Meeting Minutes
WhyGRASS VALLEY FRIENDS MEETING
Of the Religious Society of Friends of the Truth
College Park Quarterly Meeting, Pacific Yearly Meeting
MINUTES & RECORD
Meeting for Worship on the Occasion of Business
05/09/2021
We met virtually.
Present: Don McCormick (co-clerk), Anita McCormick (co-clerk), Amy Cooke (recording clerk), Chamba Cooke, Dorothy Henderson, Doug Hamm, Judy Hamilton, Reed Hamilton, Gordon Starr, Dianne Marshall
The Meeting opened with silent worship.
CLERK’S REMARKS
- The purpose of our meetings for business is to seek the Spirit’s will for us as a community. We are here to worship and not to get through an agenda.
- If you want to suggest that we take some time for worship or take more time between speakers, please say, “Clerk, can we have some time for silence” or use the Time Out sign.
- Being a clerk is a role assigned to one or two people, but clerking is a bunch of behaviors that we all can engage in, and I hope we all will.
- We leave room for Spirit to come through, releasing our thoughts, judgements, opinions and becoming silent inside and out. We can hand our issues to Spirit/God/Jesus, and then settle into any sensations or messages coming through.
QUERY
- Why are you a Quaker?
Friends spoke out of worship. Remarks touched on the universal truths available through our practices, participating in a diverse community that intends good for the world, being inexplicably drawn to a faith with accountability, trust in finding truths among Friends, inclusivity, taking spiritual understanding out into the world, the aspiration to live into the testimonies, and seeing how our interrelationships can lead to peace.
LAST MONTH’S ACTION ITEMS
- Proposed Minute: Grass Valley Friends Meeting approves adding the roles of Website/Social Media Coordinator, the Email Coordinator, and the Zoom Coordinator as ex officio members to the Welcome Committee, effective with the 2021-22 slate.
- Naming Committee for Nominating Committee: Judy Hamilton, Dorothy Henderson, Amy Cooke, Mary Starr
Judy Hamilton brought forward the names for the Nominating Committee, to season until May.
- Doug Hamm: 2020-22 term
- Pat Phillips: 2020-22 term
- Karen Olson: 2021-23 term
- Sharon Davisson: 2021-23 term
- Nominating Slate 2021-22
- State of the Meeting report
- Logo: The logo will be further developed and brought back to meeting
COMMITTEE REPORTS (see reports appended, committee clerk is noted in bold)
SPIRIT & WITNESS: Gordon Starr, Judy Hamilton, Gordon Bishop, Don McCormick, Anita McCormick, Amy Cooke, Dorothy Henderson
Judy Hamilton gave the report, attached. It was noted that the Waking Up to Race group was going to offer a program for 3rd Sunday in May. They are delaying this until June due to the scheduling conflict with College Park Quarterly Meeting (CPQM).
MINUTE 2021.05.01: Grass Valley Friends Meeting accepts the State of the Meeting report, attached.
NOMINATING COMMITTEE: Doug Hamm, Patricia Phillips, Karen Olson
It was acknowledged that the Representative restructuring has not yet been approved, so is not reflected in the current slate.
MINUTE 2021.05.02: Grass Valley Friends Meeting approves adding the roles of Website/Social Media Coordinator, the Email Coordinator, and the Zoom Coordinator as ex officio members to the Welcome Committee, effective with the 2021-22 slate.
MINUTE 2021.05.03: Grass Valley Friends Meeting accepts the nominating slate, with the additions from the previous Minute 2021.05.02, as attached.
Amy Cooke’s name was brought forward for seasoning as a member of Spirit & Witness for 2021-22.
CHILDREN’S PROGRAM: Dorothy Henderson, Gordon Bishop, Karen Olson, Judy Hamiliton, Doug Hamm, Don McCormick
Dorothy Henderson gave the report, attached. She noted that Lily came back to the Children’s Program today. Celebration was expressed, and it emphasizes how important it is to keep the Children’s Program going.
STEWARDSHIP: Mary Starr, Gordon Starr, Reed Hamilton, Pat Phillips, Doug Hamm, Fosten Wilson (Treasurer, Ex-officio), Dianne Marshall (Librarian), Hailey Wilson
Gordon Starr gave the report, attached.
MINUTE 2021.05.04: Grass Valley Friends Meeting approves a one time donation to CHIRP, the 501(c)3 that holds funds for the Nisenan, of $100.
There was a question regarding the renovations to the meetinghouse that would affect the library space.
We discussed the need for a survey recommended by the Stewardship Committee. This survey would be sent out to the Meeting as a whole regarding the location of our meeting, and if we stay at Sierra Friends Center, what renovations we would like to have considered. Time is of the essence.
We also need to consider hybrid options for including the technology that will enable us to meet both in person and virtually. It was noted that we need to develop our own infrastructure in a way that enables us to be portable in case we do decide to move at a future date. We need to look at the well being of the Grass Valley Friends Meeting. How do we maintain the vitality of our meeting? Can the Sierra Friends Center stand on its own? Will they guarantee that we will have this every Sunday? It was noted that the Children’s Program can take place in the classroom in the office building.
It was noted that there is really no time at the present to deliberate about a move. At this time, can we commit to Sierra Friends Center for the foreseeable future? We can continue to discern if a future move would be taken under consideration. At this time we use our space approximately 16 hours per month.
If we commit to portable structures we may not need a survey to request input from the Meeting on the renovations.
- What does SFC need to know from us and by when?
- The internet service is a consideration. Are there plans to improve it?
- Is Sierra Friends Center considering audio/visual equipment for hybrid meetings?
- Sierra Friends Center may also determine that our presence is too much of an incursion on their ability to rent the meetinghouse and classroom to groups that provide them with needed income. Can they commit to us for a year?
- Can Children’s Program meet every week in the classroom?
The Stewardship Committee will continue to reflect on these issues and notify the Meeting of any issues that would need full Meeting input.
We need to develop an ad hoc committee to work on our transition to a possible hybrid meeting. It was suggested that Stewardship and Spirit & Witness could work together on this. The Clerk’s Meeting will be a great time to discuss these issues.
A message was given about sinking down into the truths of our meetinghouse, of being at Sierra Friends Center, of our move 16 years ago from our old meetinghouse, of the beauty and the complications and the sorrows of our history. We are making decisions in a strange time – post-pandemic and post-wildfires. We held this message in worship.
WELCOME: Amy Cooke, Don McCormick, Kathy McCreery
Amy Cooke gave the report, attached.
MINUTE 2021.05.05: Grass Valley Friends Meeting approves the use of the new logo developed by Hailey Wilson as presented and seasoned.
NAMING COMMITTEE: Judy Hamilton, Dorothy Henderson, Amy Cooke, Mary Starr
Judy Hamilton brought forward the names for the Nominating Committee, which have seasoned.
Doug Hamm: 2020-22 term
Pat Phillips: 2020-22 term
Karen Olson: 2021-23 term
Sharon Davisson: 2021-23 term
MINUTE 2021.05.06: Grass Valley Friends Meeting approves the Nominating Committee slate as presented.
REPRESENTATIVE and OFFICER REPORTS
- Interfaith Nevada County: Interfaith Nevada County is focusing on the issues that congregations have experienced during the pandemic. In June the group will meet with Paul Cummings, Office of Emergency Services, so that congregations can discern ways to respond in the event of a catastrophic fire.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
- The Friends General Conference 2021 Gathering will be held virtually, from June 27 – July 3, 2021. Registration is open on a pay-as-you-are-led basis.
- If you use Facebook, follow the Grass Valley Friends Meeting page, or join the Facebook Grass Valley Friends Meeting group.. If you share a post from the page, your friends will see it!. It helps our visibility. Follow this link.
- It’s easy to give to Grass Valley Friends Meeting! Go to gvfriends.org and click on the Give button. This takes you to a secure site for donations. Please consider making your contribution monthly. Your contribution covers our Pacific Yearly Meeting dues and ensures that our activities as a Meeting are sustained. Thank you.
- The dates for Pacific Yearly Meeting Annual Session 2021 have been set: July 23-28, 2021. See the Clerk’s Call to Annual Session 2021 and the AS 2021 Information Page for more information.
- Online Worship: every Wednesday evening, 7:00-7:30 pm sponsored by PYM Eldering subcommittee of the Ministry Committee. Consider also the many other opportunities for online Quaker worship listed at westernfriend.org.
- College Park Quarterly MEeting (CPQM): The next quarterly meeting will take place on the weekend of May 14-16 via Zoom. The theme for this quarterly meeting is Of Life and Breath and Love: Making the connection between care of the earth, peace, and justice. As we begin to emerge from pandemic isolation, how is Spirit calling us and our Meetings into the work of transforming systems of violence, racism, and exploitation of people and planet. Registration is now open. Click here to register for spring quarterly meeting.
FEEDBACK
- It can help if the clerks support each other if one wants to speak outside of the clerk’s role. They can “pass the baton.”
- Greeters and closers need to make sure that they are clear about when they are performing their roles.
- It was suggested that “healing” be added to the list for the last 10 minutes of worship.
- We ask for gentleness when we reflect on our failings. We are all human.
- It would help to clarify during reports what the Meeting’s role is, and if those gathered can act on behalf of the Meeting.
- On Zoom it is easier to have one person speak at a time, and that can be helpful for the clerks.
- If you wish to speak and you have not been recognized, please move your hand toward the camera.
- The committees could make a better demarcation between reporting and gathering feedback. It would be helpful if the clerks of the committees notify the clerks if their reports have issues that they recognize will need more time.
- The queries are valuable, and a quick check-in could be valuable to bring everyone present. Maybe alternate these?
- A suggestion was made to bring clerking to Spirit & Witness for support.
ACTION ITEMS & ITEMS SEASONING
- Amy Cooke’s name was brought forward for seasoning as a member of Spirit and Witness for 2021-22.
READING OF THE RECORD AND MINUTES
Note: The record and the minutes were read, corrected and approved.
If you are giving a report to GVFM, please send the actual report to the recording clerk at grassvalleyfriends@gmail.com THE FRIDAY BEFORE MEETING FOR BUSINESS.
GVFM Newsletter Reminder: Please have items into Diane Marshall by Tuesday at 10 am.
The Meeting closed with silent worship.
Respectfully recorded by Amy Cooke, recording clerk.
APPENDICES:
- Nominating Committee
- Children’s Program
- Stewardship Report
- Spirit and Witness committee
- Welcome Committee
- State of the Meeting Draft Report
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Nominating Committee
GVFM PROPOSED SLATE COMMITTEES, REPS, OFFICERS 2021-2022
COMMITTEES: (convener or clerk in bold)
Stewardship:
Mary Starr, Gordon Starr, Reed Hamilton, Pat Phillips, Doug Hamm, Fosten Wilson (Treasurer,
Ex-officio) Dianne Marshall (ex officio as Librarian and Newsletter Editor), Hailey Wilson
Spirit/Witness:
Gordon Starr, Judy Hamilton, Gordon Bishop, Dorothy Henderson, Anita and Don McCormick (ex-officio Co Clerks), Judy Hamilton
Welcome:
Karen Olson, Kathy McCreery, ex officio Website/Facebook Coordinator (Amy Cooke), ex officio Zoom coordinator (Hailey Wilson and Stuart Smith), ex officio Email Coordinator (Judy Hamilton)
Children’s Program:
Karen Olson, Judy Hamilton, Dorothy Henderson, Gordon Bishop, Anita McCormick, Doug Hamm, Don McCormick
OFFICERS:
Co-Clerks: Don and Anita McCormick
Communication/Email Coordinator: Judy Hamilton
Directory Coordinator: Nancy Anderson
Librarian: Dianne Marshall
Mail Clerk: Dean Olson
Newsletter Editor: Dianne Marshall
Newsletter Distribution: Pat Phillips
Newsletter Reader: Karen Olson
Placer County Worship Group: Stuart Smith
Recorder: Nancy Anderson
Recording Clerk: Amy Cooke
Treasurer: Fosten Wilson
Website/Facebook Coordinator: Amy Cooke
Zoom Coordinators: Hailey Wilson, Stuart Smith
REPRESENTATIVES:
AFSC:
College Park Quarterly:
FASE:
FCNL:
FCLCA:
FGC Liaison:
PYM: Don McCormick
Quaker Center:
QUNP:
Right Sharing of World Resources: Judy Hamilton
Sierra Friends Center: Pat Phillips
Interfaith Nevada County: Dianne Marshall
Stewardship Committee Report
From meeting on May 6, 2021
We had a wide ranging discussion about moving back into the Meeting House – or not. With renovation work beginning, feedback from the Meeting to Marty about any wishes or changes we would like is very important. One suggestion was to move the Meeting library and closet from the right rear corner to the front left corner. It is on the north side of the building, has smaller windows and would be closer to the front door for moving the greeter’s table and supplies in and out. This would leave the right (south) side of the room all open with no walls. This led to a discussion of layout and possible security measures – i.e. locking book shelves.
We feel the need to make a commitment to Friends Center to stay but also find interest in finding a space in town. It was decided we would do some preliminary checking into possible spaces and costs to get an idea of how feasible such a move might be. It was also agreed that a survey of the whole Meeting about moving is needed and important.
We discussed making a contribution to the Nisenan Tribal organization as an on-going monthly donation or, like our other donations, an annual practice. Since there is currently no line in the budget for this it was agreed we would propose making a onetime $100 donation to them now and revisit it again when the new budget is written in August.
Fosten Wilson, our tireless treasurer reported that April’s donations, similar to March’s, were well ahead of expectations. In March we received $1,500 and in April $1,242 came in. He expresses deep gratitude for the abundance.
Children’s Committee Report
May 9, 2021
As was written in our last report in February, the Children’s Program Committee continues to provide a First Day school program each Sunday, and participate in family worship on Fifth Sunday. Sadly we have a maximum of two children on most Sundays, which only increases on Third Sunday when the teacher’s own children join and increase the number from two to four. Additionally the age gap between the two regulars is age five and age twelve which makes for some decided curricular challenges. Fortunately the 12 year old is patient beyond her years and the five year old is accompanied by her mother and they are seem fully engaged, so the classes are never dull.
Given the obvious limitations of tiny student numbers, wide student age range, and continued zoom challenges, , it must then be reported that at our last meeting, all of the teachers (we were missing one, but she reports a similar commitment) were not only willing to continue, but expressed actual enthusiasm for their part in the program with no question of laying it aside. The Children’s Program is rewarding to each in many ways, as we outlined in our February report. That seems to have only increased rather than diminishing.
On a final note, we had been asked to send the titles of the books we use in First Day school so Dianne can put them in the newsletter. This is still on Dorothy’s to do list with apologies.
Respectfully submitted,
Dorothy Henderson, Clerk
Spirit and Witness Report
We finalized our closing schedule as to who will do the closing on each Sunday of the month.
Amy reported on a Hybrid Meeting workshop she attended. While she didn’t learn much new information, she did find out about a device called an OWL. This combines a mic and camera and pivots to the person talking and highlights their image on Zoom. A quick search reveals this is about $1200. Amy will be attending another workshop on Hybrid Meetings presented by the Quaker Center later on this month.
We discussed our ongoing committees of support and care as well as initiating a few more at the request of attenders/members. All seem to be going well and are meeting regularly. We have replied to the request from PYM about “missing members”. Two members have moved out of state and the clerks will be contacting them to ascertain if they want to continue their membership. We contacted two local members who while have not attended in sometime still want to keep their membership intact.
Our clerks will be writing a Letter of Sojourn for Amy and Chamba Cooke. Amy made it clear that she feels that GVFM is her home Meeting…for which we all are very grateful.
We continue to season the time, substance and frequency of this. in which we will be presenting the Nisenan acknowledgment.
The restructured committee representative proposal was presented by the committee
representative group. Since this was done at the end of our meeting time, our members will review this document and we will discuss at our next meeting. Perhaps we will be bringing it to Meeting for Business in June.
A Committee of Care was formed for Judy Hamilton’s membership and will be meeting later on this month.
We currently have only one Spiritual Life program in the works and that is for the month, May 23rd. Dorothy will be presenting a Bible study. We do hope to have a program around the Nisenan later in the fall.
Welcome Committee
We continue to ensure that we have a greeter every Sunday. Amy has been combining this most Sundays with the Zoom position. When this changes in July we may have to consider how to manage the greeting and Zoom jobs and how latecomers and Children’s Program will be managed. We are also looking forward to considering how our meeting can integrate into a hybrid model, so we may be looking at a physical greeter and an online greeter. Right now, the online greeter welcomes everyone, confirms who is going to Children’s Program, welcomes visitors, moves folks into Children’s Program, and settles everyone into worship.
The website has been completed (give virtual tour).
We are ready to begin using our new logo with Meeting’s support.
We completed a Google Drive training for all clerks so that we can archive all the meeting’s documents online.
-Amy Cooke, clerk
2021 Grass Valley Friends Meeting State of the Meeting Report DRAFT
The year 2020-2021 will certainly go down as one of the most challenging years in recent
memory, affecting us all in so many ways. Long-standing social habits and traditions were upended
with the need to physically distance from each other in the face of a worldwide pandemic. Through
the technology of Zoom we found we could indeed experience virtually some of the spiritual
connection we so desperately needed. We met with each other in our homes, with our kids, our pets
and partners. And it allowed new people living at a distance to join us regularly. Also, it has made
finding workable times for committee meetings much easier.
New Committee Structure
We reduced the number of our committees to five: Spirit & Witness (combining M&O, Adult Education, and Peace & Justice), Stewardship (Buildings & Grounds, Finance, Newsletter), Welcome (Hospitality, Fellowship, Outreach), Nominating, and Children’s Education. It’s brought energy to the Meeting, people enjoy the work, and it’s streamlined our Meeting for Business. At the listening session for this report, one person said, “I’ve attended this meeting for 20 years and this is
the first State of the Meeting session I’ve attended where no one has said anything about there
being too much work for too few people.”
Shrinking and Growing
Over the past several years, Meeting attendance has declined—in part because of the passing of
elders and the loss of some of our most valued members who moved away. We’ve lost more than a
third of our members since 2012 (from 48 to 28), and 12% (from 32 to 28) in the last year alone.
Unfortunately, discomfort or unfamiliarity with Zoom led some long-term members to dropped
away—disinclined to attend virtually. However, during the time of our virtual meetings, attendance
has remained fairly steady at 15 – 20 people. We continue to lose members as they age. We have
very few young families. However, the ones we have are very faithful about coming to Meeting.
We welcome new people in part by contacting them right after they visit.—sending them a
personalized greeting and info about Quakerism by email and postal mail. We changed our website
to make it more dynamic and aesthetically pleasing. Three new adults have started attending; two of
them live far away. all the new people who joined us found us through the internet. One new
attender who lives at a distance chose our meeting because she was looking for a meeting with a
children’s program.
Our Sense of Community and Zoom
As are many other meetings at this time, we are exploring the possibility of a hybrid meeting
when we are able to gather again in person. We have meeting attenders who do not live in the area,
or who live at a distance, for whom zoom has been a way to attend our meeting. At the same time,
some long-time members and attenders have not been here for the past year because of discomfort
with the virtual meeting. We hope to find a way to continue on zoom and meeting in person.
While missing our worship in person, many find our current meetings for worship to be sustaining.
The ministry comes from a deep well and nourishes our spiritual life. In addition, our ministry of
music, every Sunday before meeting is greatly appreciated and each week attracts members of
other meetings that join us just for singing.
Our meeting house, located at Sierra Friends Center, is being renovated as part of the general
renewal of the Center after the fire last summer. We are welcome to return there when it is done,
and there is conversation among us about the possibility of meeting in a different location during the
renovation and perhaps after. At this time we are continuing to meet on zoom.
We endeavored to have two faithfulness groups and one provided a way for the participants to
connect with each other on a deep, spiritual level. The other one got started but for some reason did
not take hold leading us to conclude that it wasn’t the right time. Some members of our meeting are
active in Interfaith Nevada County, and recently the co-clerks led a session on Clearness
Committees that was well-received.
Race
We have continued our antiracist book group, Waking Up to Race. Many people in our meeting
have taken part in it, with a consistent core group of eight. Following the recommendations of
PacYM, the group began with Robin DiAngelo’s White Fragility, followed by Resmaa Menakem’s My
Grandmother’s Hands, and is now working through Ibram X. Kendi’s How to be an Antiracist. Each
week the group responds in worship sharing to queries based on the reading. Recently we have
begun using a discussion technique called barnraising, that is based on an article by a meeting
member and that allows a robust and thoughtful exchange of views to further our exploration of the
issues. Overall this has been a deeply sobering experience of self and community discovery about
the grave inequities in our society, and the historical roots to those inequities in our body politic as
well as in our Quaker religion. And our participation in those inequities.
As a community we are also examining our relations with the Nisenan, and discussing
acknowledging their land which is currently occupied by Sierra Friends Center, and thus our meeting
house as well as much of the area surrounding it. We continuing to labor with how to best to do this.
Our meeting has also been involved in action to address systemic racism in our
community—action that goes beyond individual work and work at the level of our meeting. We
worked with the county Black, Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) Council and other groups to
sponsor and help organize a march against racism that made specific demands of local government.
It drew hundreds of participants, and increased awareness in our tiny, rural community in one of the
whitest counties in California.
Children’s Program
We have maintained a steady children’s program with a consistent group of teachers, each one
(or two) taking a regular week of the month. The curriculum is diverse and the teachers have
managed to adapt to Zoom with some difficulty but with determination to go forward. Unfortunately,
many of the children (and parents) have not adapted to Zoom for Sundays after a week of Zoom with
school and work during the week. We have made efforts to reach out including sending the bilingual
children’s book Quaker Meeting and Me as well as cards to children in meeting. We have also made
phone contacts with parents. Currently, however, we have two children and one parent who attend
faithfully, with an increase of two or three on occasion. We hope to see a return of more families
when we are able to meet with a hybrid meeting or in person.
Caring for People in Need
The requirement to meeting on zoom with the pandemic has also made it difficult to stay
connected to some of our members who are housebound, or in retirement and assisted living
facilities. We were no longer able to visit and hold meeting for worship with them and that has been a
loss. Another loss came about when a meeting member and an attender were unable to continue
living at Sierra Friends Center and did not feel supported by the meeting as they found other places
to reside. This has been a painful experience not only for these two individuals but for others in the
meeting and for the meeting community as a whole. Individual members reached out in various ways
and that has helped on a personal level, but they remain distant from the meeting at this time.
In looking for ways we can more fully care for those in our meeting, we are considering instituting
a buddy system where all of the members and attenders of the meeting community would be
accounted for and each member of the Spirit and Witness Committee would have a certain number
to stay in touch with. We are grateful to Orange Grove Meeting for the inspiration.
Conclusion
The pandemic probably had a greater effect on our Meeting than anything else. Our gatherings
are now virtual (which has its pluses and minuses), but we continue to hold meeting for worship,
First Day School, spiritual life (adult ed) sessions, and meeting for business. There have been many
changes this year. Even so, our Meeting community has found ways to persevere, to support each
other, and to stay connected.